PALMERSTON – Hot off the heels of Palmerston’s 150th anniversary celebrations, the community will come together again for its annual fair, from Aug. 22 to 24.
The fair’s theme is “It Takes A Community,” which Palmerston Agricultural Society president Susan Yungblut said is a way to celebrate the past 150 years of the community and bring people together to socialize.
She said the fair has some community-focused events, such as a moustache and beard competition.
The fair will be held in and around the Palmerston and District Community Centre Complex.
Aug. 22
The fair starts Friday evening with a parade through town at 6:30pm.
After the parade the children’s village of inflatables will open and the arena will be filled with displays, exhibits and food booths, which are open all weekend.
At 7pm, there will also be a Taste of Minto event, where attendees can buy tickets and redeem them for samples of food from local businesses and individuals.
“You end up with a good hearty amount of food,” said Yungblut.
Aug. 23
Saturday kicks off at 8am with a pancake breakfast and a tailgate garage sale.
The day features a full schedule of events, including a tractor show, baby show, live performances and a mechanical bull.
The evening will be filled with competitions, including a cornhole tournament and corn-eating contest, as well as a mullet, moustache and beard competition.
From 4 to 9pm there will also be a beer garden with live music from The Consolers.
Aug. 24
The fair continues on Sunday, which features multiple animal performances such as the Maple Rock Stable horse demo at 12:30pm and the Diamonds in the Ruff dog agility show at 11am and 1pm.
There will also be zucchini races at 2pm, where decorated zucchini’s on wheels will face off. Participants can prepare their zucchini beforehand or come to the workshop between 12 and 1:30pm for limited zucchinis, wheels and decorations to “soup-up your zuc,” the fair website states.
The fair ends with a roast beef supper hosted by the Palmerston Marlins from 4:30 to 6:30pm.
Fair ambassador program
Prior to the fair weekend, on Aug. 20, an ambassador and junior ambassador of the fair will be selected through a competition at 7:30pm in the Palmerston Community Centre.
Participants will each present a short speech on a topic provided by the committee, submit a “MeBoard” about themselves and engage in an interview.
The chosen ambassador and junior ambassador will be at the fair all weekend, present awards to competition winners and will even participate in the corn-eating contest.
Yungblut said being the ambassador is a year-long commitment, where they will be involved in other community events and visit other fairs. The ambassador will also have the opportunity to represent the Palmerston Fair at the CNE’s Ambassadors of the Fairs competition in 2026.
The age range for the junior ambassador is eight to 12, and 17 to 22 for the ambassador.
The ambassador will also get a $500 bursary at the end of their term.
Admission
Admission to the fair is free, but the children’s village of inflatables does require a wristband costing $10 for the entire weekend.
Yungblut said the Palmerston Agricultural Society will welcome anyone that would like to volunteer for the fair.
She also encouraged the community to submit entries in the fair, saying there’s a wide variety of categories, from vegetables, baking, canning, and even homemade wine and liquor.
“There’s something for everyone and I would certainly encourage all of the community to participate and come on out and share this community celebration with us,” said Yungblut.
Visit palmerstonfair.ca for more information.
